Danish time trial champion Vandborg announces retirement

Brian Vandborg has announced his retirement from professional cycling after failing to secure a contract for the 2014 season. The 32-year-old raced for Cannondale this season, winning his second Danish time trial championship in June.

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“I would have liked to have ridden on for another year or two but the spark is not really there at the moment and eventually I felt like I’d had my time,” Vandborg told Veloropa.dk.

Vandborg turned professional with Team CSC in 2004 and remained for three years during his first stint at Bjarne Riis’ team. After taking 4th place in the time trial at the 2006 Worlds, Vandborg moved on to Discovery Channel, but he then had to step down a level following the disbandment of the American team at the end of 2007.

Following a year with Team GLS, Vandborg made his way back to ProTour level in 2009 when he signed for Liquigas, where he stayed for two years before rejoining Riis at Saxo Bank for the 2011 campaign. After spending 2012 with SpiderTech-C10, Vandborg returned to the old Liquigas set-up, now known as Cannondale, at the start of this season.

Vandborg helped teammate Peter Sagan claim a second successive green jersey at the Tour de France and then finished his year on a solid note as part of Cannondale's 7th place result in the team time trial at the world championships in Florence. However, Cannondale opted not to renew Vandborg’s contract and with a number of teams disbanding at the end of the 2013 season, places at WorldTour level were at a premium for next season.

Vandborg has refused to rule out the possibility of lining up to defend his title at the Danish time trial championships next June, however, and admitted that he may take part in some races locally in 2014. “But that would be with the sole intention of building up to the Danish championships in June,” he said, according to Veloropa.